Digital literacy and guest perceptions of AI chatbot services in hotels: A field study on enjoyment, satisfaction, and loyalty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2600005OKeywords:
hotel guest satisfaction, AI chatbot services, guest loyalty, digital literacyAbstract
Purpose – This study investigates the relationship between digital literacy and hotel guests’ perceptions of AI chatbot services, focusing on three key dimensions: enjoyment, satisfaction, and loyalty. Drawing on empirical data from a field survey conducted in Serbia and Montenegro, the research explores how varying levels of digital literacy influence guests’ evaluations of AI chatbot-assisted interactions and their behavioral intentions. Methodology – A purposive sampling approach was used to recruit participants with prior experience using hotel AI chatbots during booking, check-in, or customer service inquiries. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and comparative mean testing were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. Findings – The results reveal that digital literacy significantly influences enjoyment, satisfaction, and loyalty toward AI chatbot customer services in hotels. Serbian respondents consistently reported higher mean scores across all dimensions, with the most pronounced difference observed in loyalty. Implications – The findings contribute to the theoretical discourse on customer–AI interaction by positioning digital literacy as an important explanatory factor in shaping user experience. Practically, the results offer actionable insights for hotel managers and service designers, highlighting the importance of tailoring AI-based service strategies to guests’ digital capabilities to optimize satisfaction and encourage repeat usage.
Downloads
References
Alam, S. S., Masukujjaman, M., Mohamed Makhbul, Z. K., Helmi Ali, M., Ahmad, I., & Al Mamun, A. (2024). Experience, trust, eWOM engagement and usage intention of AI enabled services in hospitality and tourism industry: Moderating mediating analysis. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 25(6), 1635–1663. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2023.2167762
Batra, S., & Chatterji, A. (2024). Enhancing customer experience in the hospitality industry through artificial intelligence. Don Bosco Institute of Technology Delhi Journal of Research, 1(1), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.48165/dbitdjr.2024.1.01.02
Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., & Flavián, C. (2021). Frontline robots in tourism and hospitality: service enhancement or cost reduction? Electronic Markets, 31, 477–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-020-00432-5
Bilgihan, A., Ostinelli M. M., Zhang, Y., & Lorenz, M. (2025). Artificial intelligence (AI) agents and the future of customer loyalty. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(9), 3240–3262. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2025-0373
Boustani, N. M. (2022). Artificial intelligence impact on banks clients and employees in an Asian developing country. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 16(2), 267–278. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-09-2020-0376
Carl, K. (2024). Transforming the Hospitality Industry: AI's Evolving Impact on Customer Experience and Hotel Operations. Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://hospitalitytech.com/transforming-hospitality-industry-ais-evolving-impact-customer-experience-and-hotel-operations
Chen, M., Wang, X., Law, R., & Zhang, M. (2023). Research on the frontier and prospect of service robots in the tourism and hospitality industry based on international core journals: A review. Behavioral Science, 13, 560. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13070560
Chotisarn, N., & Phuthong, T. (2025). Impact of artificial intelligence-enabled service attributes on customer satisfaction and loyalty in chain hotels: Evidence from coastal tourism destinations in western Thailand. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101306
Cozzio, C., Santos Arteaga, F. J., & Maurer, O. (2025). Artificial intelligence adoption in hospitality: Challenges and opportunities across hierarchical levels. Tourism Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-10-2024-0913
Della Corte, V., Cascella, C., & Luongo, S., & Sepe, F. (2025). Unlocking Pandora’s box: Unravelling nested futures directions of the AI in tourism and hospitality through an umbrella review. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 129, 104189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104189
DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Espiloy, G. E. (2025). Smart hospitality in the age of AI: Impact of AI-driven personalization on guest satisfaction and loyalty in hotels. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 45(5), 584–592. https://doi.org/10.70838/pemj.450502
European Training Foundation (2023). Embracing the digital age. The future of work in the Western Balkans. New forms of employment and platform work. Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://www.etf.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2023-04/Embracing%20digital%20age_Western%20Balkans.pdf
Eurostat database (2026). Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database
Garabinović, D., & Lukić Nikolić, J. (2025). The application of robots in the tourism and hospitality industry: A bibliometric analysis. Teme – Journal for Social Sciences, 49(2), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME240318022G
Ghandour, A. (2021). Opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in banking: Systematic literature review. TEM Journal, 10(4), 1581–1587. https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM104-12
Hollander, J. (2025). 10 Best hotel Chatbots in 2025. Hoteltechreport, Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://hoteltechreport.com/marketing/hotel-chatbots
Huang, D., Chen, Q., Huang, J., Kong, S., & Li, Z. (2021). Customer-robot interactions: Understanding customer experience with service robots. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 99, 103078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103078
Jevtić, J., Marić, D., & Leković, K. (2025). The mediating effect of artificial intelligence marketing strategy on the relationship between value co-creation and business performance of travel agencies. Hotel and Tourism Management, 13(1), 59–79. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2500001J
Jones, R. H., & Hafner, C. A. (2012). Understanding digital literacies: A practical introduction. London and New York: Routledge.
Josimović, M., Ćoćkalo, D., & Radivojević, N. (2024). The role of guest loyalty between satisfaction with service recovery and guest behavior in mountain hotels. Hotel and Tourism Management, 12(2), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2400012J
Kara, P. A., Ognjanovic, I., Hölscher, D., Šćekić, L., Kovacevic, P., Mantas, J., ... & Bokor, L. (2024). Human-centric digitization in Montenegro: Progress through 17 years of national independence and future trends. Electronics, 13(13), 2460. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13132460
Kaya, O. (2019). Artificial intelligence in banking: A lever for profitability with limited implementation to date (EU Monitor). Deutsche Bank Research.
Lee, S. E., Ju, N., & Lee, K. H. (2023). Service chatbot: co-citation and big data analysis toward a review and research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 194, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122722
Lukić Nikolić, J., & Andrian Sredojević, S. (2025). The future of work in Banking 5.0: Examining the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on employees in Serbian banks. Economy and Market Communication Review - EMC Review, 15(1), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.7251/EMC2501127N
Lukić Nikolić, J., Dudić, B., Lazarević, S., Beňová, E., & Carić, B. (2026). The future of digital transformation in business processes: Analyzing online banking usage and client satisfaction in Serbia. IPSI Transactions on Internet Research, 22(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.58245/ipsi.tir.2601.06
Magano, J., Quintela, J. A., & Banerjee, N. (2025). Driving consumer engagement through AI chatbot experience: The mediating role of satisfaction across generational cohorts and gender in travel tourism. Sustainability, 17(17), 7673. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177673
Makivić, R., Vukolić, D., Veljović, S., Bolesnikov, M., Dávid, L. D., Ivanišević, A., ... & Gajić, T. (2024). AI impact on hotel guest satisfaction via tailor-made services: A case study of Serbia and Hungary. Information, 15(11), 700. https://doi.org/10.3390/info15110700
Mwiya, B., Bwalya, J., Siachinji, B., Sikombe, S., Chanda, H., & Chawala, M. (2017). Higher education quality and student satisfaction nexus: Evidence from Zambia. Creative Education, 8(7), 1044–1068. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2017.87076
Nanu, L. (2025). Redefining the servicescape in hospitality through technology and artificial intelligence: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(9), 3042–3060. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2025-0216
Nikolić, N., & Leković, M. (2025). Video game induced tourism – A critical literature review. Journal of Economics, Management and Informatics (BizInfo Blace), 16(1), 69–75. https://doi.org/10.71159/bizinfo250008N
Pangrazio, L., Godhe, A-L., & Lopez Ledesma, A. G. (2020). What is digital literacy? A comparative review of publications across three language contexts. E-learning and Digital Media, 17(6), 442–459. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020946291
Paraušić, V., Pantović, D., Mihailović, B., & Radosavljević, K. (2025). Digital literacy of farmers in the context of rural tourism services provision in Serbia. Hotel and Tourism Management, 13(1), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2500002P
Ranieri, A., Di Bernardo, I., & Mele, C. (2024). Serving customers through chatbots: positive and negative effects on customer experience. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 34(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-01-2023-0015
Rasheed, H. M. W., Yuanqiong, H., Khizar, H. M. U., & Khalid, J. (2024). What drives the adoption of artificial intelligence among consumers in the hospitality sector: A systematic literature review and future agenda. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 15(2), 211–231. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-02-2022-0045
Raza, S. A., Umer, A., Qureshi, M. A., & Dahri, A. S. (2020). Internet banking service quality, e-customer satisfaction and loyalty: The modified e-SERVQUAL model. TQM Journal, 32(6), 1443–1466. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-02-20200019
Regional Cooperation Council (2023). Western Balkans digital economy society index. Report 2022. Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation Council. Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://www.rcc.int/pubs/159/western-balkans-digital-economy-society-index-wb-desi-2022-report
Sahota, N. (2024). AI in hospitality: Elevating the hotel guest experience through innovation. Forbes. Retrieved October 20, 2025 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilsahota/2024/03/06/ai-in-hospitality-elevating-the-hotel-guest-experience-through-innovation/
Sheikh, S., & Jaiswal, N. (2024). Role of Chatbots in enhancing guest satisfaction and perception. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 11(12), 201–216.
Singh, P., & Singh, V. (2024). The power of AI: Enhancing customer loyalty through satisfaction and efficiency. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2326107, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2326107
Wüst, K., & Bremser, K. (2025). Artificial intelligence in tourism through chatbot support in the booking process – An experimental investigation. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010036
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bojana Ostojić, Dragan Bulatović, Dražen Jovanović
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
